Food editor praises sushi restaurant staff for learning how to sign menu in ASL for deaf sister

‘A story of kindness and language’

A food editor has recalled the unforgettable moment that staff at a sushi restaurant accommodated her sister, who is deaf, by learning American Sign Language (ASL).

Nataly Keomoungkhoun, D Magazine’s online dining editor, reflected on the heartwarming service in a thread posted to Twitter late last month, where she revealed that she’d first visited Tatsu Dallas, an omakase restaurant in Dallas, Texas, in August.

According to Keomoungkhoun, after loving the restaurant herself, she recommended it to her sister, who she described as a “big foodie”.

“My sister, a big foodie, was able to score a reservation earlier this month and had an experience that she’ll remember for the rest of her life,” the food editor wrote.

In a follow-up tweet, Keomoungkhoun recalled how, ahead of the reservation, her sister had emailed the restaurant about accommodating herself and her husband, who is also deaf. “She knew the hype behind the omakase tasting menu, and she understood that a lot of the meal is intimate and explained by word of mouth,” Keomoungkhoun explained, while noting that it is “sometimes hard” for the couple to “communicate”.

Keomoungkhoun then revealed that the restaurant responded by sending over a tasting menu ahead of time, “which allowed [her] sister and her husband to get an idea of what the night would look like”. “They were happy with that,” she added.

However, the restaurant staff were even more accommodating when Keomoungkhoun’s sister arrived at the restaurant, where she was greeted in ASL.

In the Twitter thread, Keomoungkhoun shared a screenshot of the text she received from her sister after the greeting, in which her sibling had happily texted her to inform her that restaurant staff “told us they practised for us”.

In a follow-up tweet, Keomoungkhoun then shared a video of Chef Tatsuya Sekiguchi, who “learned how to sign the entire tasting menu” for her sister.

“Chef Tatsuya Sekiguchi also learned how to sign the entire tasting menu. My sister said she saw a printout behind the bar of how to sign parts of the menu. It blew her away and nearly brought me to tears. Here’s a video of him signing some menu items,” Keomoungkhoun wrote alongside the video, in which the sushi chef could be seen using ASL to describe the various menu items.

According to the food editor, her sister and her husband “came home and raved about their dinner”.

Keomoungkhoun went on to praise the service at the restaurant, which she described as “one-of-a-kind”.

The Twitter thread, which has been liked more than 6,000 times, has been met with emotional reactions from readers, with many praising the restaurant staff.

“This just made me start crying. Wow. That is the kind of service everyone deserves,” one person tweeted, while another said: “Sobbing. In a world that amplifies negativity, it’s so powerful to remember that people are good at heart. Makes me want to get on a plane to Dallas and try that delicious food!”

“I have a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Talk about wonderful!” someone else wrote.

Others thanked Keomoungkhoun for sharing the “incredible” story. “I love this! Thank you for sharing,” one person wrote.

While reflecting on the experience while speaking with Today, Keomoungkhoun’s sister Melissa recalled how welcome she and her husband had felt.

“With the staff signing at Tatsu, we didn’t feel left out even though it created some attention in the room!” she said. “We looked silly being in awe with smiles on our faces.”

In addition to explaining each course of the dining experience through ASL, Melissa said staff also slipped them small notes explaining what was going to happen next.

Tatsuya Sekiguchi, the chef and owner of Tatsu Dallas, told Today through a translator that his belief is “everyday and everyone is special” and that his goal is to provide a special dining experience every day.

“We all are celebrating something everyday. If I can help make it more special, I am very grateful,” he said.

The Independent has contacted Tatsu Dallas and Keomoungkhoun for comment.